


The Beginning of the End

by daydreamsonacloudyday



Series: Isabel Cousland [29]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-04-13
Packaged: 2018-03-22 09:28:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,072
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3723790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/daydreamsonacloudyday/pseuds/daydreamsonacloudyday
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Isabel and Alistair come to a frightening realization.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Beginning of the End

**Author's Note:**

> • This takes place shortly before Inquisition begins (Isabel didn’t disappear, so she’s still in Denerim ruling beside Alistair).

Isabel couldn't breathe.

She jerked upright, chest tight, her lungs straining for air as her heartbeat raced. She could hear her blood thumping through her veins, her pulse slowing down as she closed her eyes and steadied herself with deep breaths, ignoring the unsettling sensation in the pit of her stomach. 

The visions of her nightmare faded away, the stresses and troubles she dealt with every day finding their way to the front of her mind. The Chantry was falling apart, mages and Templars openly fought each other, there was civil war within Orlais, and, to make everything worse, the Grey Wardens had recently disappeared from Ferelden. She didn't know what it meant, but knowing the Wardens and their secrets… it couldn't be good. Thedas was descending into chaos, and she and Alistair had to make sure Ferelden survived the storm. It was no surprise she hadn't been able to sleep as of late.

Isabel opened her eyes at the sound of the blankets rustling, her mabari's heavy weight shifting on the bed as he shuffled up to her. Whining softly, Bear rested his head on her lap, bringing a small smile to her lips as she started to pet him. He whined again, glancing towards her husband's side of the bed, and it was only then that she realized Alistair was awake as well.

She opened her mouth to ask if she had woken him, but immediately shut it when she saw the look on his face. His eyes were wide as he stared at the blankets before him, his mouth hanging open as he took deep breaths—he was recovering from a nightmare as well.

"Alistair," she said softly, reaching out to wipe the sweat from his forehead before gently caressing his face. He leaned into her touch but didn't meet her gaze, and she frowned at his unusual reaction. "You had a nightmare, too?" Nodding, Alistair began to pet Bear, the mabari shifting closer to them both. "What was it about?" she asked, eager to find out what disturbed him so much so she could try to help.

"Was yours like the others you've been having?" he replied, finally meeting her gaze. "Was it darkspawn?"

"Yes," she breathed, brows drawn together as she stared at her husband. "This one was the worst, but… why do you ask?" At her words, Alistair's jaw locked, his entire body tensing as he swallowed hard. "Alistair, what is it?" she whispered, growing uneasy at his behavior.

"I dreamt of darkspawn, too."

At his words, Isabel gasped, her eyes growing wide, heart skipping a beat. Until now, her dreams had been normal nightmares, memories from the Blight twisted into terrifying images, but the nightmare she had just before was… _more_. If Alistair was dreaming of darkspawn as well… 

"I could feel them," he stated, jarring her out of her thoughts. "That… _feeling_ we get when they're nearby. It was—"

"Overwhelming," she breathed, cutting him off. "It's like they were everywhere."

"Yes."

"And there were flashes of them… of blood, corruption…"

"Like the dreams we had during the Blight, but without the archdemon…"

Biting her lip, Isabel fought off tears, dread settling in her bones. "We haven't dreamt like this… haven't had the same dream since…" she muttered, her quiet voice unsteady as it became hard to breathe. "It's happening, isn't it?"

Alistair nodded his head once, his nostrils flaring as his pulse visibly thumped in his neck. "It's our Calling."

"It's too soon!" she shot back, releasing a rush of air as her body began to tremble. Her vision swam as tears continued to well in her eyes, her thoughts beginning to race. She felt Alistair's strong hands grab her arms, tugging her towards him and guiding her into his embrace, and she crumpled against him, burying her face in his neck as she grasped him tightly. 

"It's been ten years, love. I hoped we would have more time, but…" His voice trailed away as he nestled his head against hers, holding her close and rubbing her back as she sobbed, her chest heaving against him. There were so many questions their imminent death brought up— _How long did they have until they left for the Deep Roads?_ _What would happen to the kingdom in such a time of crisis?_ —but her mind kept coming back to a single concern: their son.

"Duncan," she forced out through uneven breaths, pulling her head back to meet Alistair's gaze. "He's only eight! He's too young, we can't leave him yet!"

He opened and closed his mouth, brows drawn together as he tried to find a suitable response. "We… we still have some time…"

"It's just going to get worse," Isabel could barely speak through her rasping breaths, tasting the salty tears that ran down her cheeks, "until we're more darkspawn than we are human. We can't let our son watch us wither away until we're taint-driven husks." Her breathing was frantic, more tears spilling down her cheeks as her chest contracted almost painfully. "We have to do something!"

"What else can we do? The cure—"

"We've been searching for two years, Alistair. _Two years_ , and still _nothing_ ," she whined, hopeless. Alistair’s lips pressed thin, jaw clenched, as he lifted an unsteady hand to her face. Isabel leaned into his touch and sniffled, trying—and failing—to pull herself together. "If we haven't found a cure by now… we are going to die, be it by wasting away until the taint takes us, or by a darkspawn blade in the Deep Roads." Hearing herself say it, that they were going to _die_ , only made the tightness in her chest grow as terror and dread continued to spread through her. Shaking her head, she met Alistair's gaze, seeing the same fear she felt mirrored in his eyes. "I don't want to die… we can't… we're going to leave our little boy all alone," she whimpered, her voice cracking as she began to sob again. 

Alistair pulled her into his embrace, rocking her back and forth as she cried, Bear curling up to them with a sad whine. Wrapping her arms tightly around her husband, she felt his chest heaving as well, heard his quiet sobs as he began to cry with her. It broke her heart, but she didn't know how to help.

They had already cheated death once… and she knew they wouldn't be doing it again.


End file.
